After looking at the results of a number of the past challenges (about a year now), if you can't post-process, you have no chance to score very high. Voters are post-processing fans. So, I didn't renew my membership this week , because I am not interested in post-processing. I hate HDR, it is so unnatural and ugly to me. So, now I will only enter the basic challenges like I did 6 years ago. Let Photography be photography.

Hmn. Not sure I see the connection between membership non renewal and lack of interest in post-processing. I am not at all skilled in p-p, but then I am not concerned (so I say) in scoring high. What membership has given me, mostly via the side-challenges, is feedback on what I take pictures of and how I take them. (Yes, people offer good p-p tips, totally unrelated to HDR, mostly to do with the noise of my wonderful equipment).

yeah i gotta agree with puck, its not like we take a photo straight from the camera and never do any processing. even in basic editing you do quite a bit but your values are yours to choose so i wont go to much farther. i respect your limitations of what constitutes photography..

After looking at the results of a number of the past challenges (about a year now), if you can't post-process, you have no chance to score very high. Voters are post-processing fans. So, I didn't renew my membership this week , because I am not interested in post-processing. I hate HDR, it is so unnatural and ugly to me. So, now I will only enter the basic challenges like I did 6 years ago. Let Photography be photography.

I seem to agree with you in some ways. Not all top scores are HDR, but the amount of post-processing for high scored pictures are generally fairly high. I think one of the best way to judge (but still rather subjective) would be to compare the original (i.e, straight from the camera, raw format) and the post-processed pictures. I reckon one example, for which I was convinced that the composition/post-processering was wisely done.

The following examples do not interest me at all as I found their respective post-treatment just dreadful IMO:

Hmn. Not sure I see the connection between membership non renewal and lack of interest in post-processing.

I don't have to "pay" for competing with great post-processors (which isn't photography in my opinion). I know more about earlier photo-fixing than most of you, since my father did it from 1935-78 at the local newspaper. He could even open eyes and create new natural eyes both in color and black & white. I watched him do it and he had a great gift, like many here. But since I have no desire to be a photoshop guru, basic challenges are enough for me. Just wanted to make a point that "real" photography has been taken over by good post-processers here.

Hmn. Not sure I see the connection between membership non renewal and lack of interest in post-processing.

I don't have to "pay" for competing with great post-processors (which isn't photography in my opinion). I know more about earlier photo-fixing than most of you, since my father did it from 1935-78 at the local newspaper. He could even open eyes and create new natural eyes both in color and black & white. I watched him do it and he had a great gift, like many here.

Tell me where the difference is between that kind of photomanipulation or doing it on a computer. The only difference is that times have changed, technology has become more accesable for many people, so it's not an exceptional skill any more.

I'm pretty sure that if you would have more knowledge of photoshop you would do more PP. You're sounding a bit like a wining kid imo. "Boohoo, (s)he's better at this than I am...I'm not playing anymore....boohoo"

Simms I would have voted it that way too, it looks natural. No dark areas where they shouldn't be in the sky or on the ground, and no ugly dark shadows or overly lit areas either. It deserved a high score. The cropping is perfect, leading lines of the sky & fence are wonderful, subject is nice, etc... This what DPC used to be a few years ago..

[quote=vtruan] [quote=tnun] I'm pretty sure that if you would have more knowledge of photoshop you would do more PP. You're sounding a bit like a wining kid imo. "Boohoo, (s)he's better at this than I am...I'm not playing anymore....boohoo"

If it were bohhoo, I would have quit years ago and not enter 480+ challenges, just stating a fact that I guess hits you between the eyes or you wouldn't be taking it so personally.

I will still be entering basic challenges, but will not compete with great post-prossessors on DPC. I've have tried but have no ability to do.

[quote=vtruan] [quote=tnun] I'm pretty sure that if you would have more knowledge of photoshop you would do more PP. You're sounding a bit like a wining kid imo. "Boohoo, (s)he's better at this than I am...I'm not playing anymore....boohoo"

If it were bohhoo, I would have quit years ago and not enter 480+ challenges, just stating a fact that I guess hits you between the eyes or you wouldn't be taking it so personally.

I will still be entering basic challenges, but will not compete with great post-prossessors on DPC. I've have tried but have no ability to do.

corrected spelling

I'm not taking it personally. I'm good at PP but I always try to shoot my photo's so that there will be as minimal editing as possible. That is the challenge of photography for me. But if needed I will PP, sometimes it's just more fun to play around with a shot. See what possibilities it has.

All my ribbons have been in basic editing, what does that tell me? I need to improve my post processing. I love how the advance editing challenges me to make my photos stand out. My goal one day is to win a ribbon in advance editing :)

All my ribbons have been in basic editing, what does that tell me? I need to improve my post processing. I love how the advance editing challenges me to make my photos stand out. My goal one day is to win a ribbon in advance editing :)

All my ribbons have been in basic editing, what does that tell me? I need to improve my post processing. I love how the advance editing challenges me to make my photos stand out. My goal one day is to win a ribbon in advance editing :)

And you will! I have faith in your ability and talent.

I always have fait in my abilities and talents...oh wait we are talking photography. Well there is always room to grow there ;)

Paying for membership goes towards keeping this site alive and should have NOTHING to do with which challenges you decide to enter. If you can afford it (and pretty much everyone who pays for an internet connection can), you should cough up your 25 bucks per year. It's a very small price to pay for what you get in return.

Advanced editing holds no monopoly on overprocessing. There's just as much editing abuse in Basic... probably even more since there's a higher proportion of beginners in Open challenges, and they have a tendency to get enamored with shiny tools. Sticking to Basic isn't likely to alleviate a processing allergy.

Paying for membership goes towards keeping this site alive and should have NOTHING to do with which challenges you decide to enter. If you can afford it (and pretty much everyone who pays for an internet connection can), you should cough up your 25 bucks per year. It's a very small price to pay for what you get in return.

Yay Hopper! Winner, winner, winner, give this man a chicken dinner!

Eaxctly so, my good sir. I haven't entered a member challenge in awhile. But am a paid member.

I agree that the voters love post processing. Some I like and some I don't. I'm a big fan of Ansel Adams, and while he took some amazing photos, his dark room skills were no less skilled. Were he alive today, I'm sure he would be processing on a computer.